Congress Member of Parliament from Nagarkurnool, Dr Jagannatham, was on Sunday caught on camera slapping Ravinder Reddy -- a bank manager in Mahbubnagar.
The official had reportedly delayed releasing loans to SC/ST beneficiaries when the MP reached the bank. The two men got into a heated argument, which led to the incident.
But Jagannatham later said he didn't slap the manager.
"I did not physically assault him. I was trying to catch him but he moved back. As I moved forward, my hand touched his cheek," he said.
But the bank unions are backing Reddy and have filed a police complaint against the MP for assaulting a government employee.
"I was insulted and blackmailed that if I did not do things properly, I will be booked under Atrocities Act. He threatened me," Reddy said.
"When I sought the clarification, he said go to anybody, do whatever you like, book any case against me, come to the branch and settle scores. Can an employee of a bank behave like this with a member of Parliament? He did that because I am a Dalit and that is why he took the liberty of insulting me," the MP added.
The bank unions have said they will stop lending crop loans to farmers and boycott all government sponsored programmes till Jagannatham apologises.
Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has also asked for a report on the incident.
This episode is the worst advertisement for the Congress line - Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath. The party leadership is embarrassed at Jagannatham's high-handed behaviour and the MP was asked to meet the Chief Minister to give an explanation.
